National News

Mom, 2 kids die after car hits alligator in South Carolina

Authorities say a mother from Florida and her two young children have died after their car hit an alligator on Interstate 95 in South Carolina.

Posted 2018-05-08T12:52:32+00:00 - Updated 2018-05-08T12:52:32+00:00

A photo from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Service of an alligator. Many of the differences between alligators and crocodiles center on their heads and mouths, but researchers in Japan have found features in their limbs that set them apart. (Tim Donovan/Florida Fish and Wildlife Service via The New York Times) -- FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Authorities say a mother from Florida and her two young children have died after their car hit an alligator on Interstate 95 in South Carolina.

Orangeburg County Chief Deputy Coroner Sean Fogle said 24-year-old Amber Stanley, her 4-year-old son Jack and 2-year-old daughter Autumn all died from burns after their car hit a tree and caught fire after hitting the alligator.

Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Judd Jones says the alligator was crossing the northbound lanes of I-95 near the Interstate 26 exit when Stanley’s Kia Soul hit the animal around 12:50 a.m. Monday.

Fogle says the family was from Callahan, Florida.